2023 Open House Recap

 

Recap of Open House & More…

 

Freshmen
 

• Get involved in clubs, sports, the community 

• Club Fair 9/27, 10:45 AM - 1:15 PM, Outside Cafe/Bleacher area

• Do the best you can in your classes  - Communicate with teachers

  • Ask for help when needed - it is being a good self advocate :) 

  • Click here for resources - academic and social/emotional

• Familiarize yourself with the DHS website - including the Counseling page

  • It’s a wealth of resources - letter day calendar, upcoming events, info, etc. 

• Check your school email regularly 

• Get to know your school counselor 

  • You can stop by or schedule an appointment using the laptop in the main waiting area. You can also ask either Ms. Lajoie or Mrs. Hyatt to schedule an appointment with your counselor.

• Attend Seminar during Quarter 2 (on Q2 schedule, once a rotation)  

• Lesson 1 - Intro to Seminar/ Intro to Interest Inventory 

• Lesson 2 - Career and Club Exploration as related to interests 

• Lesson 3 - Taking Care of Ourselves and Others

• Lesson 4 - Upperclassmen Panel, “What I Wish I Knew as a Freshman”—> Embedded into Panel: Study Skills/Midterms; Time Management; Courses/Registration; Balance

• Lesson 5 - Transcripts/credits/4 Year Planning/Course registration process 

 

Sophomores
 

• Continue being involved with clubs, sports, the community

  • Club Fair 9/27, 10:45 AM - 1:15 PM, Outside Cafe/Bleacher Area. Students can join clubs anytime throughout the school year.

  • Explore volunteer opportunities (DHS website - Student Tab→Volunteer Agency Contact Info) 

• Do the best you can in your classes  - Communicate with teachers

  • Ask for help when needed - it is being a good self advocate :) 

  • Click here for resources - academic and social/emotional

• Students should check their school email regularly 

• Keep in touch with your school counselor.  

  • You can stop by or schedule an appointment using the laptop in the main waiting area. You can also ask either Ms. Lajoie or Mrs. Hyatt to schedule an appointment with your counselor.

• Learn about and practice for standardized tests (Sophomore PSAT should be used for practice only) 

  • The optional PSAT on 10/30 at DHS

    • Just practice/ not used for National Merit Scholarship Qualification

    • Registration through your My School Bucks before 10/9.  The cost is $18.

• Looking ahead to junior year, some students may wish to utilize test prep (not required) before taking a SAT/ACT test.  Students can get an early start during summer going into Junior Year 

  • Pre-ACT will be offered on Saturday, April 6th 

  • Khan Academy is free online test prep

  • DHS SAT/ACT Test Prep  

  • Possible Darien Summer School & Enrichment Offerings

• Attend Sophomore Seminar - Quarter 4 (once a rotation)

  • Lesson 1 - Seminar overview for quarter/Completion of Personality Inventory

  • Lesson 2 - Naviance/Volunteering/Resumes

  • Lesson 3 - Digital footprint & Social Media/Email etiquette 

  • Lesson 4 - Updating 4 year plan / College search

  • Lesson 5 - Junior Panel: “What is Junior year REALLY like?”/SAT vs ACT/Post-High School Options / College Search basics

 

Juniors
 

• Continue to explore/pursue interests and passions through academic and extracurricular activities. Quality over quantity!

• Club Fair 9/27, 10:45 AM - 1:15 PM, Outside Cafe/Bleacher Area

• Communicate and build relationships with your teachers 

  • Students will be asking for recommendation letters Spring 2024

• Do the best you can in your classes. 

  • Continue to ask for help when needed and be a good self advocate 

  • Click here for resources - academic and social/emotional

• Check your school email regularly 

• Familiarize yourself with the DHS website and the School Counseling page. 

  • It’s a wealth of resources - letter day calendar, upcoming events, info, etc. 

• Check in with your school counselor 

  • You can stop by or schedule an appointment using the laptop in the main waiting area. You can also ask either Ms. Lajoie or Mrs. Hyatt to schedule an appointment with your counselor.

• Begin exploring post-secondary options through research, virtual events, fairs, and visits. 

• Attend DHS Junior Planning Night on Nov. 6 (virtual)

  • Our kick off event for Junior Post-Secondary Planning

• Schedule a Junior Planning Meeting with your School Counselor (Feb.-May)

• Standardized Testing

  • PSAT at DHS, October 30th (in school)

    • Register through MySchoolBucks by Oct. 9th

  • CT SAT School Day (all juniors - mandatory) - March 20, 2024

    • All students registered by DHS

  • SAT and ACT offered on various Saturdays throughout the year.

    • Register on the college board.org or act.org websites

  • PSAT and Spring SAT will be DIGITAL tests

  • Some students may wish to utilize test prep (not required) prior to taking an official SAT/ACT test

• Attend Junior Seminar - Quarter 3 (once a rotation)

  • Lesson 1 - Post-High School options and timeline for Junior Year

  • Lesson 2 - Self reflection as related to Post-High School planning, review of planning/research techniques and resources (i.e. Naviance)

  • Lesson 3 - Update resumes, asking for recommendation letters, work on Junior Packets/post-high school planning research, course registration and graduation requirements review

  • Lesson 4 - Interviews, College Fairs, and College Visits. Common Application tutorial, creating account, start application

  • Lesson 5 - Overview of college essays, summer goals and involvement, workshop for post-high school planning

 

Seniors  

Seniors should…

• Continue to explore/pursue interests and passions through academic and extracurricular activities. (Quality over quantity!)

• Club Fair 9/27, 10:45 AM - 1:15 PM, Outside Cafe/Bleacher Area

• Research/narrow down list of schools or programs (Gap Year, PG, etc.)

• Work on applications and supplements

• Work on personal essay / share it with counselor/English teacher for feedback

• Circle back to teachers for recommendation letters and request them through Naviance

• Check in with your school counselor

  • Students can stop by or schedule an appointment using the laptop in the main waiting area or you can see either Ms. Lajoie or Mrs. Hyatt to schedule an appointment with your counselor.  

• If colleges require official test scores, send them through the College Board website (SAT) and ACT website (can take about 2-3 weeks)

• Fill out and submit transcript request forms to Counseling Secretaries at least 30 days before your first deadline

• Attend DHS College Rep visits throughout fall (mainly in-person)

• NCAA Eligibility Center- DI and II (register online, send SAT/ACT scores, connect with Mrs. Hyatt about transcript)

• Continue to work hard in classes throughout senior year

• Attend Senior Seminar Quarter 1 (once a rotation)

  • Lesson 1: timeline for senior year, review transcripts and graduation requirements, parts of the application, interviews, college representative visits

  • Lesson 2: transcript request forms (30 days), requesting teacher recommendation letters through Naviance, matching Common Application to Naviance, completing FERPA

  • Lesson 3: reviewing resumes/Common App activity section, college essays, Covid-19 response

  • Lesson 4: managing stress, addressing anything else that needs to be covered/discussed

  • Lesson 5: what to do when you get in/waitlisted/deferred; how to decide which school to attend; Senior Internship Program Introduction

 

****More details on the DHS website under the Counseling tab —> College & Post-Secondary Planning